Chapter 457: No Team, Only Lin Ran
Behind Bezos, Natarajan had a smug look on his face.
Whatever he lost in America, after returning to India, he had ten thousand ways to earn it back.
Just hearing the name “Tata Group,” you would associate it with a glamorous modern multinational corporation under capitalism.
It is a vast empire owning everything from luxury cars Jaguar Land Rover to high technology software company Tata consulting services.
However, stripping away the cloak of a modern enterprise, this is a deformed monster parasitizing on the Indian public, carrying thick colonial colors.
This sense of deformity originates from the Tata Group’s unique historical and social positioning.
It perfectly combines the most glamorous charitable cloak with the most ruthless capital operations, creating an impenetrable moral halo.
The Tata Group’s most eye-catching trait is that it indirectly controls most of its businesses through charitable trusts.
Externally, this is promoted as the model of “India’s conscience,” “taking from the people, using for the people.”
For hundreds of millions of ordinary Indian public, this charity has not brought real structural change, but instead provides moral immunity for Tata’s monopoly behavior.
The most typical case is Tata Steel in eastern India.
Their expansion in mining and energy fields extremely squeezes tribal land and natural resources.
The local public’s living space is squeezed by huge mines and factories, the environment is polluted, and the compensation and job opportunities they can obtain are negligible compared to the group’s revenue and huge market capitalization.
The public’s protests are often suppressed by the propaganda line of “we are India’s most charitable company.”
Tata uses its influence to cleverly avoid strict environmental protection regulations and land requisition restrictions, packaging plunder as national construction.
This is just one negligible case among many.
Tata Group successfully solidifies the patron-servant relationship left over from the colonial era in a modern capitalist way.
Under India’s bizarre caste system, this set of tactics distorts even more rapidly.
In every decision, it squeezes the bottom public in the most ruthless way.
Ten billion US dollars is within Natarajan’s acceptable range, and he has already figured out in his mind how to pass the cost on to the Indian public.
Tata Electricity, Tata Communication, Tata Consumer Goods, all of these can achieve cost reduction and efficiency improvement.
As for causing the living cost of the bottom public to rise, this is completely unimportant to Natarajan.
As for the capital operations revolving around Blue Origin, that is pure profit.
After Bezos successfully suppressed the Tata Group, he immediately reconnected Lin Ran’s direct line.
At this moment, there was not much time left before the critical separation ignition that would decide the astronauts’ life and death.
Lin Ran was preparing for the command orbit change, and Li Xiaoman answered the telephone.
Bezos said: “Madam Li, let professionals handle professional matters.”
Li Xiaoman nodded and said: “We have confirmed it. The 1 billion US dollar deposit has arrived in the account, and General Manager Lin is already communicating preliminarily with your company’s Chief Engineer Lisa Carter.”
Completing a cross-border transfer of up to 1 billion US dollars in less than 30 minutes, ordinary bank wire transfers, that is SWIFT, definitely cannot achieve it, because it needs to go through multiple transit banks and complex anti-money laundering reviews.
This speed can only be achieved by super tycoons’ private bank networks or national-level financial channels.
When Bezos pressed the confirm button in Florida, he used his top account in Morgan’s private bank wealth management department.
This step was completed instantly.
The funds went from Morgan’s clearing account, through a dedicated high-frequency trading channel, directly into the designated emergency account specified by Apollo Technology.
Due to the clear nature of the funds and high-level guarantees, the anti-money laundering review was minimized, and the system could complete clearing confirmation in a few minutes.
After thinking for a moment, Bezos said: “The funding issue is resolved. Tata Group will bear all costs. Now we must talk about the external narrative.”
A thought flashed through Li Xiaoman’s mind: Sure enough, you guys know how to play. I knew Americans wouldn’t use their own money.
It turns out Indian tycoons are footing the bill.
Li Xiaoman was very calm. She said expressionlessly: “Please speak, Mr. Bezos.
We only care about the professionalism of the rescue operation.”
Bezos said: “Very good. We hope Apollo Technology will characterize this operation as purely international humanitarian aid.
Regarding that ten billion US dollars, I hope to package it externally as the first installment injection into a long-term cooperation fund.
This payment is funded by Tata Group and will not appear on Blue Origin’s financial report.”
Li Xiaoman understood: “You want to transform the price of commercial failure into a model of morality and international cooperation?”
Bezos explained: “Exactly.
Madam Li, our astronauts, our spaceship are facing a life-and-death test. I must ensure their return does not cause our space project to fall into a long-term quagmire.
Similarly, for China side, your company also needs international prestige.
This is win-win.
Our external narrative can focus on China Aerospace’s supreme respect for human life and China moon landing’s rapid response capability.”
After thinking for a moment, Li Xiaoman agreed, because they had already squeezed 10 billion US dollars out of the other party’s hands, and it wasn’t like Apollo Technology’s rescue fact wouldn’t be public.
This is “spare people when you can” in Chinese philosophy.
Seeing Li Xiaoman’s nod, Bezos felt a sense of relief. No need to take the blame, still cooperating with Apollo Technology, money squeezed from Tata, except for this moon landing failure, it was practically perfect.
“Thank you for your cooperation.
We will prepare a live broadcast as soon as possible to explain this to the public.”
In Blue Origin’s temporary news conference hall.
Jeff Bezos stood behind the similarly temporary podium, with a huge screen in the background showing the Odyssey spaceship sliding lonely toward deep space.
His demeanor was tired and solemn, with faint bloodshot eyes.
This was an image carefully designed by his personal team: a moral leader worried about employees’ lives.
“Ladies, gentlemen, global audience friends.” Bezos’s voice was low, with a hint of confidence.
“I very painfully announce that our Odyssey lunar module encountered an unprecedented low-temperature fuel propulsion system failure.
Due to hardware self-locking, the spaceship cannot brake, and three brave astronauts are drifting toward an irreversible deep space orbit.”
Because of the emergency, there were only a few local reporters who rushed over temporarily in the audience.
Most reporters were in Houston, waiting for NASA’s big news.
As for Blue Origin? What kind of third-rate company is that?
The reporters present were both shocked and secretly excited upon hearing this—they were at the first-hand scene of a major event.
Bezos looked straight at the camera in front of him, paused for a moment, and said: “We have no time to blame. In the face of desperate situation in space, humanity must unite.”
He pointed his hand at the Apollo Technology LOGO on the screen.
Bezos continued: “At this very moment as we speak, I have initiated emergency contact with China Apollo Technology Chairman Randolph Lin’s office.
I requested them to use their spaceship deployed on the Moon for an unprecedented deep space rescue.
I am pleased to announce that the China side has shown the noblest humanitarian spirit.
They agreed!
They did not hesitate, no reluctance, immediately approved the rescue operation.”
Bezos bowed deeply toward the camera.
Blue Origin’s official live broadcast room originally had only a few hundred people, but with the announcement of this explosive news, the number quickly climbed to 50,000.
After Apollo Technology appeared, the influx of Chinese netizens pushed the live broadcast room over 100,000.
Blue Origin had never enjoyed such treatment.
Reporters in the audience raised their hands one after another, hoping to ask questions for more intelligence.
“Mr. Bezos, is this aid free?”
“We will pay the China side’s cost fees; the specific amount needs to be confirmed after the rescue.” Bezos didn’t mention the ten billion at all.
“Mr. Bezos, why request China’s help instead of SpaceX? Is it because of a rift between you and Mr. Musk?”
“Of course not. This is because China has the richest experience in moon landing. Their spaceship is parked on the Moon, while SpaceX’s Starship has already launched, their spaceship capacity on the Moon is limited, and they lack experience.
This concerns the lives of three astronauts; this is no joke. If SpaceX had this capability, no matter what hate I have with Musk, I could put down my pride and beg him.
However, the reality is that China is the strongest in this aspect.” Bezos didn’t forget to throw shade at Musk and SpaceX.
“Mr. Bezos, there is a rumor that you and Apollo Technology’s Lin have known each other for a long time. Is it true? Is that why you could contact Lin first-hand?”
“Yes, I knew Lin when he was studying in America. At that time, I had a chance to cooperate with him, but some accident happened, causing me to miss the early investment in Apollo Technology.
This remains the thing I regret most in my career to this day.”
However, this has never affected my friendship with Lin. We have very good personal relations. We both believe technology should drive human progress.
But today, what he has shown far exceeds friendship.
I must publicly and unreservedly praise here the noble integrity and humanitarian spirit shown by Mr. Lin and his team.
After learning of our astronauts’ accident, he decided to launch the rescue without any hesitation.
This proves to the world a truth we firmly believe: space rescue never distinguishes by race, skin color, or nationality!
This is not White Person, not Black Person, not Asian, this is humanity’s common action!
It tells us that it’s not only White People who can perform space rescue; Chinese people can too.
When our spaceship carrying astronauts from different cultural backgrounds encounters crisis in space, the one extending aid is the space hero from another great nation.
The success of this rescue will send a clear message to Washington: Competition on Earth certainly exists, but in space, human life and common goals must always be above geopolitics differences.
We hope that in the future, such cooperation can be normalized and institutionalized to jointly maintain the security and peace of Earth-Moon space.”
Bezos’s speech not only gave Lin Ran a huge moral halo, but also won him support in the Donkey Party camp for diversity and cooperation, successfully packaging a commercial failure into a great victory of human spirit.
After handing over the work to Lin Ran, Lisa Carter watched her own boss’s speech in the YouTube live broadcast room, and inexplicably thought of Natarajan’s whisper: Today’s America is just a big India.
After Bezos’s public relations battle concluded, the real technical campaign immediately shifted to Apollo Technology headquarters in Shanghai.
Lin Ran had now fully taken over the command authority of the astronauts.
Apollo Technology’s remote command center had never been activated before due to emergencies.
Who could know that the first activation would be for such a special situation.
The trouble caused by Indians to Americans is solved by Chinese people.
Bezos wasn’t wrong; it really is international cooperation.
On the main screen in front of Lin Ran was the real-time orbital prediction map of the Odyssey spaceship; that parabola was ruthlessly extending toward deep space.
Lin Ran’s voice was directly transmitted into the helmets of the three astronauts.
“Commander Jansen, this is Lin Ran.
We have imported the RCS thrust performance curve of the ‘Shiva’s Wing’ escape pod and the weight and center of gravity data you provided.
I have recalculated the timing and vector for separation ignition.”
Lin Ran’s voice was calm, without any agitation, but every word carried irrefutable authority.
After Lin Ran’s brief self-introduction, Jansen’s heart had already calmed down; he fully regained calmness and entrusted his life safety to the other party.
The other two astronauts were the same.
“Listen, your escape pod RCS thrust is weak; it has only one chance. We will use an ultra-narrow window: ignite at the moment when lunar gravity gradient is maximum and escape pod attitude is most stable.
Lena Singh, please confirm the final available remaining pressure of RCS propellant.
We must use all remaining thrust for velocity increment while ensuring sufficient attitude control fuel.
Our estimated target value is 14.85 meters per second; this is the minimum requirement to ensure entry into free return trajectory.”
Lena, this propulsion engineer, was immediately convinced by Lin Ran’s precise numbers.
She knew this was more precise than their own team’s calculated 15 m/s, meaning Lin Ran’s team had optimized the spaceship data better than the original factory in a short time.
Little did she know, there was no team, only Lin Ran.
Lena was no longer nervous. She replied: “Understood, sir. RCS propellant pressure stable, can provide safe thrust upper limit.
14.85 m/s, received!”
Lin Ran’s gaze fell on the screen; the spaceship was rapidly approaching the apex of the trans-lunar injection orbit.
Lin Ran said: “Commander Jansen, prepare to execute avalanche separation ignition timing.
The program will include three steps: one, main cabin explosion bolt ignition; two, escape pod RCS attitude stabilization; three, main thrust pulse ignition.”
He broke down the instructions clearly and explicitly, ensuring the astronauts could follow step by step even in extreme tension.
Lin Ran continued: “Sarah, before separation ignition, please manually confirm the sealing integrity of the escape pod’s life support system and heat shield tiles protective layer; this is your guarantee to survive.”
Sarah immediately got to work; her scientist’s rationality and calmness were reactivated.
Sarah replied: “Life support system pressure normal, heat shield sealing confirmed intact, awaiting ignition command.”
Lin Ran: “Very good, Commander Jansen, ready, countdown begins.”
Carl Jansen took a deep breath, eyes locked on the timer numbers ahead.
Lin Ran: “Countdown 30 seconds. Prepare separation ignition.”
His voice echoed in the communicator, each number like a drumbeat on the heart.
“10 seconds.
Astronauts maintain maximum acceleration tolerance posture.
5 seconds.
Prepare separation.
3, 2, 1, ignition!”
With Lin Ran’s command, Jansen fiercely pressed the separation button.
T+0 seconds, the escape pod separated from the paralyzed main cabin body; the huge explosion bolts ignited instantly, pushing the escape pod away from the main spaceship.
T+0.5 seconds, Lena felt a slight tremor.
She stared intently at the attitude control instrument; RCS propulsion systems sprayed weak airflow, quickly stabilizing the escape pod’s attitude.
T+2 seconds, the RCS nozzles at the bottom of the escape pod instantly sprayed two streams of weak but stable flames.
This was the last full power.
This thrust lasted less than ten seconds, but it forcibly pushed the escape pod’s orbit from deep space orbit toward Earth.
Lin Ran: “Ignition complete! Lena, report actual velocity!”
Lena quickly checked the data: “Mr. Lin! Actual velocity, 14.84 m/s! Within allowable error margin! I think we have entered free return trajectory!”
